All the Shakespeare you can handle

You might be able to handle the truth, but can you handle the comedy? You’d better be able to if you’re going to take on the kickoff for this year’s Sacramento Shakespeare Festival: It’s a 30-hour marathon of the Bard’s funniest stuff to raise funds for the festival. Actors are collecting pledges of a nickel a line.

Starting at 3 p.m. this Friday, June 12, and running through 9 p.m. Saturday night, readings of 12 of the comedies will be held on the Sacramento City College campus. The readings are open to the public from 3 to 10 p.m. on Friday and from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. All the readings will be Web cast at www.sacramentoshakespeare.net. For more information, visit the site or call (916) 558-2228.